Egg-carrier.



'No. 840,558. PATENTBD JAN. 8, 1907.

' J. w. DBNME'AD. EGG CARRIER.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1905.

.Ivz v 6 11-23011 gzmwm JOHN W. .DENMEAD, or AKRON, ouio.

EGG-CARRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Application filedsepteniber 29,1905- Serial No. 280.572.

Patented Jan. 8, 1907.

T (ZZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN W. DENMEAD, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Akrestingupon the bottom thereof.

ron, in the county of Summit and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Egg-Carriers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

The object of the invention is to provide for the use of retail dealers in eggs, a carrier in which the eggs may be transported to customers without danger of breakage and which shall include a suitable cheap receptacle, such as a strawboard tray, removable from the carrier with the eggs in-it for delivery to the customer.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the complete carrier in its best form. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the carrier with the cover and a part of the tray removed, and Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the carrier when the cover thereof isclosed.

The carrier includes an ordinary wooden box A and its cover B, which may be hinged to it, and a suitable catch, as the hook C, may be provided for holdin the cover closed. The inside height of t e box when the cover is closed should be a little greater than the length of an egg.

Rising from the bottom a of the box are a plurality of partition-pieces preferably in the form of pegs D. These peg-shaped partitionpieces are so arranged, substantially as shown, that compartments are formed for the reception of eg s, said compartments being of such size, ue to theplacing of the pegs, that they severally are adapted to receive an egg standing on end and to preventit from tippin much out of the vertical position and to old it out of contact with eggs in the other similarly-formed compartments.

E represents a receptacle which is preferably a tray made of strawboard or some analoous flexible material, which, however, must e stiff and strong enough to substantially retain its shape when removed from the box and full of eggs. I It has through its bottom a pDIurality of holes e, through which the pegs freely pass when the tray is in the box In other respects the tray is of familiar form, having slightly-flaring sides e, which may'touch the sides and ends of the box. When this tray is in the box, as shown, the flexible bottom of 'by the thin edges of said pegs.

the tray covers the recesses a. in the boxbottom. When this tray is in the box, the

eggs K are placed in the described compartments between the pegs and in the tray at the same time. They rest upon the unsupported parts of flexible tray-bottom directly over the recesses a", wherefore they are not liable to be broken either in dropping them into the compartments or in handlin the carrier.

In the inner face of the ox-cover top 6, dlrectly over the compartments when the cover is closed, are countersunk recesses b.

and in the cover is secured a sheet G of fiexible but rather stiff paper or paper-board which covers these recesses. This sheet G is a permanent part of the carrier and isnot, like the tray, used once only. It is required, therefore, that it be durable, wherefore it is preferably made of a very good quality of Manila board. To increase the flexibility of this sheet, holes 9 are formed through it concentric with the recesses b but of smaller diameter, and still greater flexibility is given to this sheet by slits or notches g, extending from said holes outward a short distance, as

shown. The purpose of this sheet is to prevent the eggs from coming in direct contact with the box-cover when it is-closed. The i holes 9 and slits are formed not alone to increase the flexi ility' of the sheet, but to adapt the carrier for eggs of all ordinary sizes. The large eggs may project their ends into the holes g and may even bend the sheet G a little Without coming in cOIltflOt with the topb of the cover. There are, additionally, certain minor features of construction which contribute much to the practical efficiency of the carrier.

The pegs are arranged in rows and are staggered in respect to each other, and they are attened so as to make them somewhat flexible. The flat sides of alternate rows are turned toward the sides of the box, and the flat sides of the intermediate rows'toward the ends of the box. The compartments'for the eggs are those spaces bounded by the flat sides of the pegs or between said flat sides and the sides and ends of the box. The pegs are placed so close together that eggs of ordinary size cannot go into the spaces bounded With this arrangement the eggs cannot be placed in the carrier so that they can touch each other. They should be so placed, of course,but the dental lac' of the eggs in any other way. These iiags di ia preferably made of wood, but that is not essential. It will be noticed that thesides (including the ends) of the box form a part of the wall of some of the compartments. The sides of the tray will ordinarily keep the eggs from direct contact with the sides of the box; but for greater security latched, the eggs are completely protected from any external blows. They arem a very large measure insured against breakage through shaking, striking, or jarring the box by the fact that they touch only the flexible bottom and sides of the tray, the flexible cover-sheetG, and the flexible pins. When the eggs reach their'destination, the cover is opened, and the tray with the eggs in it is removed and delivered.

While the so-called pegs are shown with substantial circular bases and narrow flat body portions, it is obvious that they may be of other shapes, and particularly that the bodyportions or said pegs may be very much wider than they are shown to be in the drawings Without departing from the spirit of the invention.-

1. In an egg-carrier -the combination of a box and a plurality of pegs which are severally secured to and project upward from the bottom of said box, with a removable tray having upwardly-projecting marginal walls and a bottom in. which are holes through which said pegs project When the tray is resting upon the bottom of the box, said tray being made of material which is so stifl and strong that when filled with eggs and removed fromthe box it will substantially retain its shape.

2. In an egg-carrier, the combination of a box having countersunkrecesses in its bottom, and a plurality of upwardly-projectin pegs which are secured to the bottom of sai 1 bottom of said box, said pegs being arranged in paralle rows, and the pegs in alternate rows having their flat sides faced :n the same directions and the pegs in the intermediate rows being staggered in respect to the pegs in the alternate rows and having their flat sides faced in a directionat substantially right angles to the direction in which the flat sides of the pegs of the other rows face, with a-removable tray in said box resting upon the bottom thereof and having holes throu 'h which said pegs loosely project, substantia ly as and for the purpose specified.

4. In an egg-carrier, the combination of a stiff box, and upwardly-projecting pegs secured to the bottom-of sald box, the vertical walls of said 'box having internal vertical grooves a with a removable tray made of flexible material and having holes 11 its bottom through which said pegs project, and having flexible sides which engage with the walls of said box and span the grooves a therein, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature-in the presence oftwo witnesses.

, JOHN W. DEN MEAD.

Witnesses: E. B. Gmonms'r, E. L. TnURs reN. 

